How to Edit Notes in Ableton Live
Ableton Live is an audio recording and MIDI sequencing application that performs a number of different tasks. Audio can be recorded and processed with a number of built-in effects, or turned into loops and triggered from Live's "Clip View." It also includes a fully featured MIDI sequencer that allows the recording of data from MIDI instruments, and provides a number of tools for editing and processing the recorded notes. There is a standard "Grid" style editor, and a number of effects units applied directly to MIDI data.
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Instructions
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Launch Ableton Live and the default "New Live Set" will appear. This includes one audio and one MIDI channel already set up. Highlight and delete the audio channel as it will not be needed for this example.
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Determine whether you are using "Arrangement View" or "Session View." The Arrangement view uses a traditional "Left-to-Right" scrolling multi-track layout, with a horizontal time-line. In Session view, channels appear as a number of vertical strips, but each channel has a number of audio "Clips" stacked vertically. These Clips can be triggered individually or in horizontal strips called "Scenes." Only one clip per channel can be played at any one time.
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Ensure you are in Session view. Create a new MIDI clip by double-clicking an empty slot in the upper portion of the MIDI channel. A colored box will appear in the channel strip with a play button, representing the clip. In the "Clip View" window, you will see a MIDI grid. This window is used for editing MIDI note information.
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Click on the title bar of the MIDI channel to view the track devices. The area that previously displayed the Clip View will change to an empty space. Drag and drop a MIDI instrument from the browser onto the empty space. This will allow you to hear the MIDI notes you are creating.
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Double-click the MIDI clip again to return to the MIDI grid editor. New notes can be placed by double-clicking in the grid. Move them around by clicking and dragging; adjust their lengths by clicking and dragging the bracket at either edge of the note; adjust velocity by dragging the corresponding "lollipop" icon below each note. Drag the icon up to increase the velocity, or down to decrease it.
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Tips & Warnings
The menus at the left side of the clip view can be used to set global information for that particular clip, such as the time signature, groove quantizing and tempo.
